Adam Singer's MMA Articles

As one of Dominick Cruz’s coaches on The Ultimate Fighter Live, BJJ black belt Lloyd Irvin brought his specialized coaching system not only to Team Cruz…but to the fi ght fans who tuned in from all over the globe. As head of Team Lloyd Irvin (U.S. Jiu-Jistu Team) and owner of Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts [...]

MMA training isn’t just for adults. Let the kids have some fun. There is an uphill battle in building youth MMA programs. Traditional martial arts like karate and taekwondo have a head start because they don’t have the underlying stigma of violence that is associated with MMA. However, the development of discipline, character, and respect [...]

MMA coach Greg Nelson is finishing a story about a well-known fighter sprinting down the Las Vegas strip wearing nothing but fight shorts and gloves. The fighter had just lost a big fight and was not handling it well. The story segued into an hour of unbelievable conversation on everything from mentors to training advice [...]

Don’t be afraid to jump in the gym part-time. Hobbyists can benefit from MMA training too. Don’t we all get the urge to hit someone? The guy who cuts you off in traffic. The smug barista who screws up your coffee order. The managing editor who tells you that your article sucks. The amount of [...]

It’s been six years since Forrest Griffin became a household name by going toe-to-toe with Stephan Bonnar on his way to winning The Ultimate Fighter. Since that time, the UFC has held more than 110 live events, broadcast 11 more seasons of TUF, and become an international sensation.Without Forrest, none of that would have been [...]

Everybody loves a standup war. The constantly looming threat of a knockout is what draws people to combat sports. Knockouts sell tickets, and fighters that fight for the KO are always fan favorites. Regardless of your preferred fight game, every fighter must learn to navigate the minefield that is the standup game. To be [...]

The wrestlers are taking over MMA and they have big plans—score takedowns, lay and pray, win decisions, and take all the titles. Some of them even want to steal your girlfriends and wives. Non-wrestlers are literally being squeezed out of MMA. Anyone that hasn’t wrestled might as well find another sport. Okay, now that [...]

The quest for a shortcut in training has been a defining characteristic of my coaching philosophy. I want my fighters to get as good as possible, as quickly as possible. However, I know there are no real shortcuts. According to Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers: The Story for Success, it takes 10 years or about [...]

I know that knockouts are the most exciting part of MMA and KO artists quickly rise up the ladder of popularity. But, for my money, submissions are the real thing of beauty. One look at the top fighters in the UFC and Strikeforce and you’ll see that many of the champions and contenders are highly [...]

Seedy bars, seedier strip clubs, hospital rooms, and crazy after-parties—I have spent the night after fights at all of these locations. Fights are the culmination of years of blood and sweat. From the moment the fight ends until it’s time to get back to hard training, fighters have a chance to cram in as much [...]

The second I step out of the cage and my fighter is on his own, I know it will be the longest five minutes of my life. All I can do now is yell instructions, and that’s an important job. At the bigger shows, the crowd drowns out my voice. Fans are going wild, the [...]

For many athletes, the list of men who have influenced them is a short one. The majority of us probably have at least one coach on our list. If we were lucky, this person helped us reach our full potential both on and off the field of play. Conversely, a bad experience with a coach [...]

The fighters you see on TV were once green professionals, fighting in front of small crowds for a few hundred dollars and travel money. Almost every week, I am at a local MMA event in the Southeast watching new pros make their debut. With the shear number of gyms popping up, I am seeing more [...]

MMA is the only sport I can think of that takes place on two distinct areas of play: the cage and the ring. The iconic Octagon was made famous by the UFC and is synonymous with MMA. For most fans, what would “cage fighting” be without the cage? What many fans don’t realize is that [...]

The “lucky” punch always lands against the overwhelming favorite. It usually materializes out of nowhere, and our hero almost never sees it coming. The idea of a lucky anything (punch, kick, knee, etc.) resides in the eyes of the fan. Surprising and unexpected? Yes. Lucky? No. Everyone Gets Caught Any lucky punch, kick, [...]

In the fight game, we use the words “tough” and “heart” interchangeably. But don’t make the mistake of thinking overwhelming physical skill equates toughness. Rings and cages are littered with athletic wonders that did not have the heart to make it big. Physical prowess alone does not make a fighter tough. True toughness and heart [...]

From the outside looking in, I believe the game plan for Jamie Varner was to use his striking to land power shots, thus setting up his takedowns so he could score with ground-n-pound. I think Henderson’s game plan was to fight at long range and make Varner take bad shots, extending the fight to rounds [...]

I’ve seen a lot in the 10 years I’ve been coaching mixed martial arts out of my gym in Athens, Georgia. I’ve watched the transition from the early days of fights in local gyms with make-shift rings and made-up rules to the big money pay-per-view fights held all over the world. I was ringside coaching [...]